Time is Not Always Set in Stone
by Megz McGizzle
Summary: Sequel to Lost and Not Found ending A. A year after Alan's death, the family is having a hard time moving on. But Scott just can't. With Brains' help, can Scott turn back time and save his youngest brother?
1. New Hope

**Ok, so just so everyone understands, this is the sequel to "Lost, and Not Found", Ending ****A****. So if you haven't read that story, please do so before reading this :)**

**And I know I still need to finish my other two stories, I'M SORRY! But I'm finishing up the final chapter for "Memories Long Washed Away" and also working on the next chapter for "Taken", so hopefully it won't be long before they're up. I just had a major temptation and inspiration to write this and wanted to get it out there before I move on with the other two. I promise, I will update on those soon. And I know this is a really short chapter, but as I said I just wanted to get it started before finishing up on my other stories. Hope you enjoy:) **

* * *

  
"_No!" Scott yelled, scrambling to his feet as he saw the glint of the dagger taking aim for his father. Though no matter how hard Scott tried to get to his feet, he continued to feel his body being held back._

_Suddenly, Jeff's form faded away to Alan's, standing defiantly and glaring at the Hood. A malicious laugh filled the air, and the dagger sped towards Alan. Scott felt cool tears run down his face as he watched in what seemed to be slow motion as the cruel dagger rushed towards his youngest brother, who's expression changed from defiance, to shock, to fear. The dagger finally made it to Alan, and buried itself deep within his chest. Alan cried out in pain, and shut his eyes tightly._

_As Alan began to fall backwards, Scott tried to lunge forward, screaming, "No, Alan!"_

---

Scott suddenly shot up in bed, cold sweat dripping from his brow. His breathing was heavy, and his throat was dry and sore. Among the sticky drops of sweat, he felt a drying stream of tears on both of his cheeks. Wiping them away, he let himself catch his breath before climbing out of bed. Glancing at his alarm clock, he let out a sigh. 12:23.

Looking in the mirror as he passed by, he almost shocked himself at how pale he had become. His face was sallow and worn, with deep circles beneath his eyes. It'd been almost a year since Alan's death, and Scott had hardly gotten any real sleep since. He doubted any of his brothers, or especially his father had either.

The impact of Alan's death hit everyone hard, especially Scott. After their mother's death, he'd felt that he needed to be strong for the others, to show no emotion and to become a leader. He couldn't let them down. Alan was only a small child at the time, and seemed to be the only essence of innocence and living left in the house. Scott felt as though Alan was the one that would always be there no matter what, the one that would cheer everyone up and never get hurt. The only one who would stay the same and keep a sense of normality around the house. But now that he was gone, he had nothing that felt secure to him, and it was extremely hard.

Sighing once more, he left his room and began to wander down the hallway. As he walked towards the kitchen, he suddenly heard a noise coming from the lab down an adjacent hall. Suddenly curious, he turned and crept towards the lab, peering around the doorway. Brains was standing in dim light next to two large machines, each looking like a CAT scanner. He'd noticed them before, but never took note of them, assuming they were some advanced medical machinery. In Brains' hands, there was a small gerbil squirming around and sniffing Brains' hand. Brains was talking to him, and looked quite odd. Brains then set the gerbil on the bed of the first scanner, and typed for a bit on a connected laptop, then hit a small blue button on the machine. A green light engulfed the machine, then the gerbil suddenly vanished. Scott could only stare in shock and wonder as the gerbil then appeared in the bed of the second scanner.

Scott, too curious to just walk away, walked into the room and turned up the lights. Brains' was rather startled, and nearly dropped the gerbil, which he'd just picked up from the scanner. His face soon turned from fear to delight when he saw who it was, and he set the gerbil in a small cage nearby.

"H-hey Scott, w-w-why are you up s-so late?" he said with a smile.

"Couldn't sleep," Scott said distractedly, looking oddly at the gerbil that was now munching on a treat in its cage. "How…how did you do that?"

Looking down at the gerbil, Brains beamed. "Th-this? Oh I've been d-developing a p-p-program for a couple of y-years now that can m-move an object from place to place, o-or forward and b-backwards in time!" He took a proud sigh, taking a quick glance over the machines. "S-still not quite p-p-perfect yet, but I'm getting c-close!"

Scott paused, taking it in, and pondering closely about the possibilities. "So," Scott started, thinking for a moment, then continuing, "So you said it could move things forward _and_ backwards in time..?"

"Yep!" Brains said happily. He wagged his finger in front of the gerbil and made funny faces at it for a moment, then froze, his smile suddenly fading. "S-Scott, you know I-I-I can't take you back in t-time…"

"Why not?" Scott urged, watching Brains as he began to pace. "You just said you could!"

"But I h-haven't tested i-it on people!" Brains tried to press, though rather weakly. He stopped pacing and wrung his hands, keeping his eyes low. "N-nor have I tested it for long j-jumps over time, o-or the return m-m-mechanism. We c-can't do it."

"Please Brains," Scott implored. "This might be our chance to save Alan!"

Brains' jaw clenched, his eyes lowering even further. "I kn-know Scott…" he said quietly. "But we j-just can't take th-the risk of losing y-you too."

Scott walked up to Brains, putting his hand on his arm. "Brains," he trailed off pleadingly. Brains, though reluctantly, looked Scott in the eyes. "Please…"

Brains locked eyes with Scott for a moment, obviously contemplating the possibility. Finally, he sighed. "A-alright," he stuttered. "But I'll n-need a few days t-t-to prepare everything."

"Thank you, Brains!" Scott said gratefully, hugging the scientist.

Brains sighed again. _I'm g-going to regret this._

* * *

  
Finishing his daily 30 laps in the pool, Scott dried off and wandered across the patio, letting himself fall into a nearby pool chair. Sighing, he became lost within his own thoughts. Time seemed to drift by, and he had no idea how long he'd been there. Frankly, he didn't care. All he could think about was Alan, and the possibility of him coming back. 

Suddenly, he was torn away from his thoughts when he heard footsteps approaching from the patio door. Looking up, he found his father coming towards him, an almost distant glaze in his eyes. Scott shuddered slightly at his father's haggard appearance. His face had been creased with deep lines and his hair was unkempt, giving him the appearance of being ten years older than he truly was. He was also much paler, having often opted to stay in his office than venture outside, other than when a rescue was needed somewhere around the world.

"Dad?" Scott ventured, breaking his father out of his own trance. Jeff suddenly looked up, and smiled tiredly at his oldest son.

"Hey, Scott," he said hoarsely. "How're you feeling? You don't look so great…"

Scott gave a half smile. "You don't look so great either…"

Jeff also smiled slightly, though as he sat in the chair next to Scott, he sobered up again and gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah," he agreed quietly, "I suppose I don't…." Pausing, he looked up at Scott, frowning. "Scott, are you alright? You've been really quiet the last couple of days. Anything you want to talk about?"

Scott paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should tell his father what Brains had told him just a couple of nights earlier in the lab. He opened his mouth to begin, though quickly shut it once more. "No, I'm alright, Dad," he affirmed, not wanting to upset his father even more. "Just worn out." Smiling weakly at his father, he hoped that Jeff wouldn't press any further. He groaned inwardly when he saw his father was going to pursue the issue, though was surprised when he also shut his mouth once more. Standing up, Jeff nodded.

"Alright," he sighed again. "But honestly, Scott, if you want to talk, I'm here for you."

Scott smiled at his father, giving a slight nod. "Alright, Dad," he said quietly. "Thanks."

Jeff seemed as though he was tempted to question his son further, though he squeezed Scott's shoulder reassuringly instead. Smiling, he silently turned and reentered the villa.

Sighing, Scott fell back onto the pool chair. _Brains, please hurry…We need him back…_


	2. Remembering

**Alright, so I know I promised the last chapter for Memories and another one for Taken, but I've had a nasty cold, bringing both tiredness and major writer's block, so I haven't had much inspiration lately for either. BUT, I did get a really good tip about the song "Who You'd Be Today" by Kenny Chesney from criminally charmed (thank you so much btw!) so I escaped the writer's block for this story and decided to at least make myself useful with this one. Hope you all like it. :)**

* * *

Yawning, Gordon trudged into his room, exhausted from both the lack of sleep he'd had lately, and the 40 laps he'd just completed in the pool. The water was always so calming to him, allowing him to drown out the world around him for as long as he could hold his breath. He'd also found that Scott had somewhat taken up swimming as well, the quiet hobby becoming yet another temporary outlet for Scott before he moved on to something new in his never-ending search for an escape from the real world as he always did- and as they all did. Lazily tossing his towel to the floor, Gordon tiredly fell on to his bed. 

Though his bed was becoming soaked with pool water from his suit, he didn't care- or more, he was too tired to care. Sitting up, he flipped on the clock radio that was sitting on his nightstand. Sighing, he once more fell back onto his bed, burying his face into the pillow as he listened to each song, and trying to keep his thoughts off of the grim reality of Alan's absence. He almost began drifting off into sleep, though the next song pulled him out of his doze. He'd heard it God knows how many times before, though it hadn't passed his mind since Alan's…since Alan passed. Listening to each word brought tears to his eyes.

**Sunny days seem to hurt the most  
Wear the pain like a heavy coat  
I feel you everywhere I go  
I see your smile, I see your face  
I hear your laugh' in the rain  
I still can't believe you're gone**

It ain't fair you died too young  
Like a story that had just begun  
But death tore the pages all away  
God knows how I miss you  
All the hell that I've been through  
Just knowing, no one could take your place  
Sometimes I wonder, who you'd be today 

It seemed as though the song were written solely for him and his brothers. Though the pain seemed indescribable, the words seemed to catch a brief glimpse at what he was feeling. He knew there wasn't a single day where he hadn't thought of Alan, of all the times they played games, when they pulled pranks on their brothers and father, when they simply valued each other's company. Looking back, Gordon realized he never truly told Alan how much he loved being his older brother, and most of all, being his best friend. And he'd never told him of how much he loved having him as a brother and best friend in turn.

Gordon remembered the first few months after Alan's death was the hardest for him. Whenever he'd get lost in his thoughts while walking through the hallway, he would- for a split second as he passed Alan's door- think that he'd see Alan sitting on his bed reading or sitting at his computer as he often was. But when the harsh reality came back to him, it always felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach with ice cold fists. On a couple occasions, he did in fact double over after realizing Alan wasn't there, but not from any sort of pain. He had doubled over because of the raw despair that had once again dawned on him. Gordon felt more tears prick at his eyelids at the mere memory.  
**  
Would you see the world  
Would you chase your dreams  
Settle down with a family  
I wonder what would you name your babies  
Some days the sky's so blue  
I feel like I can talk to you  
And I know it might sound crazy**

Gordon also felt extremely badly for Tin-Tin. She also took the news of Alan's death harder than anyone imagined. She had locked herself in her room for days on end, hardly eating at all. The others began worrying about her health when they saw just how emaciated she'd become after just two weeks, and eventually talked her into eating once more. Though she improved slightly, she'd since moped around the villa, often staring out into space.

Everyone on Tracy Island could see that Alan loved Tin-Tin, and vice-versa. They had started dating just a couple of weeks after the incident at the Bank of London, and had been nearly inseparable since. They often spent their time talking or playing video games, Tin-Tin often winning. She often joked that he was still a crybaby, though he'd often return with a quick play tackle. Again, most of the time, Tin-Tin won.

Gordon smiled at the memory, though his smile immediately fell. Sitting up, he opened his nightstand drawer and took out a small blue box that sat hidden behind a short pile of books. Holding it gently in the palm of his hand, Gordon simply stared blankly at the box, the memory of his younger brother giving it to him to keep safe boring into his mind. Alan wanted to wait until he and Tin-Tin were both old enough, and until then, wanted to keep it in a place where he knew his brothers wouldn't find it and taunt him about it. Gordon could still remember Alan's exact words, ones he never told another living soul about.

_Gordon…I want to propose to Tin-Tin…_

**It ain't fair you died too young  
Like a story that had just begun  
But death tore the pages all away  
God knows how I miss you  
All the hell that I've been through  
Just knowing, no one could take your place  
Sometimes I wonder, who you'd be today  
Today, Today, Today...  
Today, Today, Today...**

Gordon knew his father took Alan's death the hardest of all of them. He'd often said that Alan looked much like his mother, and the loss of the last resemblance of his wife and his baby boy, was almost too much for him to bear. He, like Tin-Tin, had often locked himself in his study, busying himself with Tracy Enterprises work or idly doing something as pointless as tapping his pen onto the desk for hours, mostly avoiding International Rescue work unless there was an urgent emergency call. When the others tried to talk to him, he'd seem distant and lost within his own mind.

Sighing, Gordon replaced the small box he was holding back into its spot in the drawer and fell back onto his bed. As he felt warm tears trickle down his cheeks, he rolled onto his stomach, burying his face- and his tears- into his pillow. He quietly sobbed into the warm cushion, wishing all the pain away, wishing it would go back to how it had been. It wasn't fair that Alan had to die so young, why him, what had he done? It wasn't fair that he couldn't experience all of the ups and downs that age and life had to offer. It wasn't fair that their family, which helped so many others, had to be torn apart. It wasn't fair that they had to feel like this. It wasn't fair that they had to miss him. It wasn't fair that some of the most important things Gordon and his brothers had wanted to tell Alan had been left unsaid. It just wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair.

**Sunny days seem to hurt the most  
I wear the pain like a heavy coat  
The only thing that gives me hope  
Is I know I'll see you again someday**

John, who had just been wandering down the hall absentmindedly flipping through the pages of a newspaper, stopped as he heard the muffled sounds of his brother crying. Oh, how often he'd heard that dreadful sound since he'd returned from Thunderbird 5 nearly a year ago. For a while, it was the only thing heard around the household, though it was soon replaced with a just as morbid silence. Sighing, John tossed the paper to the floor as he walked through the doorway, going to sit next to his brother on the bed. "Gordon?" he started wearily. He thought he'd be better at this after nearly a year, though each conversation was just as awkward. Though startled for a moment, Gordon simply turned his head away from his brother, staying silent.  
**  
Someday, Someday...**

John sighed once more, thinking of what to say. Suddenly, he heard the radio and realized why his brother had begun crying. "Hey, let's turn this off…" he said quietly, switching the radio off, letting silence fill the room. Turning back to his brother, John set a comforting hand on Gordon's back, though received no hint of recognition in return.

"Come on, Gords," John started again. "Don't shut me out, please?"

Gordon sighed, but stayed silent, keeping his gaze directly opposite from John.

"Gordon," John continued quietly, "The only way I can help you through this is if you talk to me. Why are you shutting me out?"

"It's not you," Gordon choked out between suppressed sobs. "I…I just don't understand…Why'd it have to be him, John? He didn't have a single rotten bone in him. Mischievous maybe, but never bad. It's just not fair, Johnny…" Breaking into sobs once more, he buried his face back into the pillow. He didn't care if he looked childish. He just didn't care anymore.

Though he felt the exact same way Gordon did, John still felt pity for his second youngest brother. Just as it wasn't fair that Alan had died, it was just as unfair that they all had to go on without him and live through the pain that his absence left behind.

"I know, Gords," John said sadly, rubbing his hand comfortingly against Gordon's back. "I know…"

* * *

Checking his watch for just about the billionth time in the last few days, Scott hesitantly set it down on his nightstand, unwilling to miss any communication from Brains. After a few moments of staring at it uselessly, Scott finally decided to lie in bed and perhaps- though unlikely- get some rest. It was already midnight, yet he still couldn't put his mind to rest. Sighing, he crawled under the covers and tried to relax, though just as his head settled into the pillow, his watch began to beep. Jumping upright in a flash, he fumbled with it for a moment before quickly answering. Brains' image soon flashed onto the screen, looking quite anxious. "O-o-k Scott, m-meet me in the l-l-lab. I think i-i-it's ready…" 

Nodding, Scott cut the transmission and quickly ran from the room. However, his sprint was cut short when he nearly ran head-on into Virgil.

"Whoa," Virgil started, surprised at his brother's sudden rush. "Where's the fire?"

"Save it," Scott snapped, trying to push past him, though Virgil stepped into his path. "Virgil, move!"

"Hey, Scott," Virgil continued, obviously irritated. "What's been up with you lately? You hardly ever talk to us and when you do it's to yell at us. What's going on?"

Scott sighed, calming down slightly. "Look, I'm sorry…I just…I just want to make everything normal again…"

Frowning, Virgil looked as if he were going to press the issue, though Scott cut him off.

"Look, Virg," Scott said rushed, "Can we talk about this later? I've gotta go…" Pushing past his brother, Scott rushed down the hallway, leaving Virgil sulking behind him. Soon Scott pushed his way into the lab, where he found Brains pacing once more.

Scott immediately stepped in, anxious to go back to when…to when Alan was still alive. "It's ready, Brains?" Scott asked simply, watching as the scientist stopped pacing and began wringing his hands instead. Quietly he nodded, though he seemed to be caught up in worry to start. When he still did nothing, Scott pressed, "Brains..?"

Seeming to have snapped out of a daze, Brains nodded once more and distractedly took up a small machine in his hands. Silently, he took Scott's arm and fastened the machine around his wrist. Scott, though startled, became curious at his new 'accessory'. "Brains, what is this?"

"I-it…umm…" Brains started, still caught up in his own thoughts to put together a coherent sentence. However, he came back for a moment and continued, "It's the m-m-merging device…Wh-what it does is i-it merges your c-c-current self with your p-past self, so you're n-n-not in two places a-at once. Th-there's also the re-re-return mechanism beneath i-it. It'll s-s-stay on your wr-wrist, even wh-when you m-m-merge."

Scott stared in wonderment at it for a moment, trying to process the tiny machine's capabilities. "So…how do I use the return mechanism?" he finally asked.

"Y-y-you don't," Brains started, pausing as a confused expression crossed over Scott's face. "S-s-since I don't y-yet know the full e-effects of the m-m-merging mechanism, I-I-I think it's best th-that we limit the t-t-time that you're a-a-affected by it. S-so, I have a t-t-timer on the return mechanism, s-set for o-o-one hour."

Swallowing hard, Scott nodded. _Great, one hour to change history…This'll be fun…_

"N-now," Brains continued. "There might b-b-be some minor sh-shock to your mind wh-wh-when you arrive in th-the past and m-m-merge with your p-past self, and I-I-I expect the same when y-you return, so b-be prepared."

Scott paused for a moment. "Question is," he muttered, mostly to himself, "What will I return _to_?"

Brains sighed. "I-I-I suppose we'll f-find out…A-a-are you ready, Scott?"

Also sighing, Scott nodded. "Yeah, I think so…"

Motioning towards the first CAT scan-resembling machine's bed, Brains walked over to the connected computer and typed in some codes as Scott settled into the hard bed. Nodding slightly to Scott, Brains smiled faintly. "G-good luck, Scott."

Scott sighed shakily once more as the bed moved into the machine. "I'll need it…" he mumbled to himself. As Brains pressed the small blue button on the side of the machine, Scott held his breath as he was engulfed in the bright green light.


	3. Seeing Alan Again

**Alright, so just a quick note- just to make sure it's clear, the "Past" is before Alan died and the "Present" is a year later, the time that Scott just left behind. Also, this may be just a tad different than what happens in Lost, and Not Found. I mean, other than the fact that Scott knows what's going to happen, but you get the idea haha. Thanks again to criminally charmed, who seems to be chock-full of fantastic ideas, and is the best beta ever! Haha and also thanks to ****xXPhilippineSunshineXx, ****criminally charmed, ****hardyboyfansrock, ****montogma, ****foxee-chik****, and ****Potterwatch for reviewing. You're all amazing. :)**

* * *

Groaning, Scott groggily opened his eyes, trying to blink away the blurriness in his vision. As he looked around the room, confusion filled his throbbing head. _This isn't my room, where am I?_ Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the bright summer sun filtering through the windows. Realization soon dawned on him of his whereabouts, though it only caused more confusion for him. _The infirmary?_ He tried racking his brain for the last time he'd been awake, though his sleepiness still dominated his mind. Suddenly, he realized there was something around his wrist, and he quickly raised it to see what it was. As he saw the small piece of machinery wrapped around his arm, Scott's eyes went wide. _Alan! Wait, what day is it? Did I make it back in time..?_ What seemed to be hundreds of more thoughts swam through his head, though his thoughts were cut off by a quiet voice. 

"Hey," the voice said sarcastically, "Sleeping Beauty finally woke up!"

Scott froze. He knew that voice. It was the voice he'd known for years, one he thought he'd never hear again. One he'd wished with all of his heart and being to hear again. He almost didn't want to turn in the voice's direction, scared that it was a lone illusion from the shock of the machine that rested on his wrist. But then, he heard it again.

"I thought I was supposed to be the only one in here for a while," Alan chuckled. "But you sure scared the crap out of Dad."

Turning, Scott stared wide-eyed at his youngest brother who was sitting upright in the bed next to his on the right. Alan's smirk began to fade as he noticed Scott's shocked expression. "Scott, are you…ok?" he asked curiously. Scott only continued to stare, and Alan began getting both amused and worried at the same time. Waving his hand back and forth in the air, he called, "Scooott…Hello, anyone in there?" His amusement faded to pure worry, however, when he saw tears gathering in Scott's eyes. Alan couldn't even recall the last time he'd seen Scott cry- or even tear up, for that matter. "Scott? What's the matter with you?"

Scott gulped hard, and shakily stood from his bed. He couldn't believe his eyes. He knew he'd get to see Alan again after what Brains had told him, but to truly see him alive shook Scott to his core. After all the months of missing his brother…Of grieving for his spirit, his laughter, his life…After seeing him lying in a casket, still and cold and forever gone…Scott felt dizzy at the mere sight of Alan. However, he steadied himself and made his way over to Alan's bedside. "A-Alan?" he managed to croak out, placing a trembling hand against Alan's cheek, reassuring Scott that Alan was truly there.

"Scott, are you feelin-,"

Scott quickly cut Alan off, throwing his arms around his youngest brother as tight as he could without hurting him. Though he tried to contain himself, Scott couldn't help but sob into his brother's shoulder.

Caught of guard completely, Alan was shocked at his brother's sudden burst of emotion. "S-Scott?" he asked startled, though Scott stayed silent. Instead, Scott pulled back and looked Alan directly in the eye.

"You're really here…" Scott muttered almost disbelievingly, mostly to himself. Smiling, he returned to hug Alan once more.

Alan, even more disturbed, lifted his IR wrist-com which had been sitting next to him to call to Jeff, "Uh, Dad? I think something's wrong with Scott!"

Just a few moments later, Jeff came rushing into the room, obviously expecting something terrible having happened to Scott. However, he immediately stopped and frowned in confusion as he saw his eldest son crying silently against his youngest son's shoulder, Alan looking just as confused as he was.

"Scott," Jeff ventured, curious. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Scott immediately looked up to his father, whose brows were furrowed together in obvious puzzlement. Scott thought for a moment, unsure of what to say. He couldn't possibly tell his father that he was from a year in the future, where Alan was dead. He'd think he was crazy! Scott opened and closed his mouth uncertainly, words forming but not coming out. Scott looked from his father to Alan, and back again. Finally, he muttered, "Really bad dream…Just a bad dream…"

Jeff clearly understood that it was a lie, though decided to press the issue later. "Are you feeling ok? You sure gave us a scare earlier."

It was Scott's turn to be confused. What had happened that made him come to the infirmary?

"What happened? I can't really remember," Scott admitted, sitting next to Alan on his bed. Alan turned to face his brother better, a frown still upon his face, mirroring the ever-furrowing one on his father's. Jeff walked closer and set a gentle hand on Scott's forehead, checking to see if he'd gained some sort of temperature, though found none. The action made Scott feel like a young boy, though decided to just ignore it. Once Jeff was settled on the fact that his son wasn't visibly sick, he sat on the edge of the bed Scott had just been in a few moments ago.

"I'm surprised you don't remember," Jeff sighed. "We were out on the back patio earlier when you just suddenly passed out. Luckily, you were sitting down or it could have been a lot worse. Brains said it was probably from exhaustion, which I'm not too surprised at, seeing as you've been working yourself to death on rebuilding Thunderbird 1." He stopped, pausing for a moment to shoot Scott a disapproving gaze. "You'll just have to take it easy for a while, and we can start to work on it once you've gotten a few days rest."

Scott nodded, though his thoughts weren't on Thunderbird 1. His thoughts were about what little time he had, and- assuming that his memory still served him right- what little time they had until the Hood returned as he had before. "That's fine Dad," Scott said quickly, "But we need to get Alan to safety as soon as we can…"

Jeff's eyes widened, and from the corner of his eye, Scott could see that Alan was equally startled.

"Why?" Alan urged, obviously distressed at his brother's sudden worry for his own safety. "What's going to happen?" Both he and Jeff stared wide-eyed and curiously at Scott, wondering what he could've meant.

Scott paused, still unsure whether he could tell them or not. "He…I…" he stumbled with his words, sounding a bit like Brains.

_Brains! That's it! Dad would believe me if Brains can back me up. Brains said he'd been working on the project for a couple years, so he should know I'm telling the truth…_

"Dad, just come with me, and I'll tell you everything," Scott urged, moving to leave the room. However, Jeff put a hand up, blocking Scott's way.

"No," Jeff said sternly, not lowering his hand until he was satisfied that Scott wasn't leaving. "Tell me, now."

Scott sighed, worried that he was slowly losing precious time. He thought for a moment, trying to think of what he should do. Finally, he sighed once more. "Alright," he said resignedly, "But you won't believe me when I tell you..."

"Try me."

* * *

_**Present…**_

Sighing, Jeff silently trudged down the dimly lit hallway, having reluctantly just left his room for breakfast. However, he suddenly stopped as he passed John's room, noticing that his son had once again settled himself next to the window, where he kept a keen eye on the empty horizon.

"John?" Jeff asked quietly, concerned that his son was slowly cutting himself off from the rest of the family. When he got no response, he walked into the room, which was twice as dark as the hallway, and settled his hand on John's shoulder. John didn't move, keeping his eyes fixed on the ocean.

"You know what today is, don't you?" John said, more of a statement than a question, not even sparing a side-glance at his father.

Jeff swallowed, lowering his head. Of course he knew what day it was. He was sure everyone on the island did. It was the horrid one-year anniversary of Alan's death, a year from the day he'd left them forever.

Unsure of what to say to comfort his son, Jeff wearily told him, "We just need time to let the pain go away…"

Finally looking up at his father with sharp eyes, John retorted, "Time doesn't heal scars, it can only numb the pain. But time won't do anything for us." He then quickly looked away, feeling tears gathering behind his biting gaze. He paused, taking a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Dad…I just…I want him back…"

Though Jeff was taken aback at his son's suddenly bitter comment, he never removed his hand from John's shoulder. As John apologized, he tightened his grip. "I know, John, we all d-," he said quietly, though suddenly stopped, giving a small gasp of pain.

Startled, John looked up into his father's face, only to find Jeff's eyes clenched shut and his hand grasped tightly to his chest. "John," he gasped, trying to regain his breath, which had suddenly left him. As he fell to his knees, John rushed to him.

"Dad? Dad!" John cried, panicking. "Help! Scott, Virgil, someone! Help me!"

Just a few moments later, his two younger brothers came rushing into the room, their eyes widening as they saw the scene in front of them.

"I think he's having a heart attack!" John stated, his voice not betraying the panic he felt. "Help me get him to the infirmary," he continued, lifting his father into his arms, though it was difficult. "We need to find Brains, now!"


	4. Gone Again

**Well, here's the way overdue chapter I promised. Sorry for the long wait…personal troubles... Anywho, I also have another chapter on the way for "Memories Long Washed Away"! Hopefully I'll have that done by the time I go back to school on Monday. A huge thanks to my amazing beta, criminally charmed! And thanks so much to everyone who's kept reading and reviewing my stories, even through the long waits. You guys are amazing :)**

**Happy New Year everyone!

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Past…

"Scott, please tell me you're kidding," Jeff said somberly as Scott finished.

"This isn't something to joke about," Alan said quickly, looking startled and anxious.

Scott looked helplessly between his father and brother, both seeming extremely tense. He hadn't told them that the last time…Alan died. He knew it would lose him some credibility- why would he come back in time for a simple wound? But from the looks on his family members' faces, they wouldn't be able to handle it. He settled that he'd tell them later when he returned to the present…if they all made it through the day. "I wish I was," he finally sighed. "But I'm not, and Alan really is in danger." As Jeff and Alan exchanged uneasy glances, Scott pleaded, "Please…trust me."

Jeff still seemed unsure, though when he saw the despairing look in Scott's eyes, he knew his oldest was telling the truth, at least to his ability. Sighing, he decided, "All right. I'll trust you, Scott." Lifting his wrist-com, he called, "Gordon, John, Virgil- report to the infirmary ASAP."

Obediently, the three arrived just a few moments later, Gordon dripping with pool water, still fully dressed. Each smiled and Gordon laughed. "Well, look who decided to wake…"

"Not the time, Gordon," Jeff suddenly cut him off, the smiles on the three middle Tracy brothers' faces disappearing and turning into confusion. "Boys, we think the Hood is on his way to the island, so we need to protect Alan at all costs. Gordon, take Alan to the safe room and _stay there_. John, Virgil- I need you to grab your guns and go warn the others. Scott, come with me to the off-…"

"Oh God," Alan suddenly murmured, his eyes going wide. "He's coming…I can feel it, he's almost here..." As he finished his sentence, he looked up to the others with fearful eyes, their expressions mirroring his own.

"Ok, everybody- hurry!" Jeff ordered, each one rushing out, panic gripping them tightly.

Turning to the left, Scott and Jeff sprinted down the hallway as the others ran to the right. As they reached the office, neither hesitated to grab their guns from the lower desk drawer and begin the lockdown sequence. However, they weren't able to complete the code as a large explosion shook the villa. However, it wasn't in the office as Scott remembered, but farther down the hall.

"What the hell?" Scott muttered, confused. His eyes widening, he glanced at his father, horrified. Jeff looked just as shocked, and without a word, both raced out the door and down the hallway. It didn't take them long to arrive in the family room, and both gave an involuntary gasp of shock.

All of the family room windows and the patio door were shattered, not a single shard of glass remaining in the frames, and the floor covered in the sparkling glass. On the floor by the wall, John and Virgil laid unconscious, obviously knocked out by the explosion. Luckily, it seemed that Gordon and Alan had managed to get away. In the doorway of the shattered patio door, with a malicious grin on his face, was the Hood.

"Well, nice to see _you_ again, Jeff," the Hood mocked, chuckling a bit as he took a step forward.

"Leave my sons alone," Jeff growled darkly, his face distorted in a glare. "Leave, _now_."

"Oh, I'm so frightened!" the Hood scoffed, putting up his hands. "But," he continued, lowering his hands and putting them together as though he were making pleasant conversation. "I promise you that you and your elder sons will not come to harm…if you give me Alan."

"We'll never give you Alan, you son of a bitch!" Scott screamed, the horrible memories of this day the first time he experienced it flooding his mind. "You'll have to kill us first!"

The Hood's calm mood then suddenly changed to a bubbling rage. "Fine," he snarled, "If that's what you want." Raising his hand, he swiftly sent a wave of energy towards the two men, which they narrowly dodged, a small table and lamp that was behind them shattering against the wall.

Both Scott and Jeff ducked behind the kitchen wall, setting their backs to the wall and pulling out their guns, readying to shoot. Suddenly, Jeff then stepped past the wall and turned, pointing his gun at the Hood. In the blink of an eye, he pulled the trigger shot off three rounds. However, the Hood saw the attack coming, and put up his hand in defense. The bullets stopped just a few feet away from him, and fell uselessly to the ground.

"You're going to have to try harder than that, Tracy," he sneered, his spiteful grin returning. He sent another wave of energy with a quick movement of his hand, though this time he hit his target. Jeff went flying backwards, and crashed harshly into the opposite kitchen wall, slumping unconscious to the floor.

"Dad!" Scott cried, quickly making his way towards his father. However, once he stepped from behind the kitchen wall, he could feel the Hood's powers close in around him, freezing his body in place. He was then suddenly jerked around to face the Hood, and dropped onto the floor.

"So," the Hood sneered, "do you want to end up like them…" he said, motioning towards Jeff, then Virgil and John. "Or do you just want to give me Alan? It would be much easier for all of you."

"You don't know what we've been through- what _I've_ been through- because of everything you've done to Alan…I won't let you touch him ever again." Scott snarled, getting up off of the floor.

"Aww, how touching," the Hood derided. "Too bad Alan won't get to hear you say that before you die…"

"I just did," Alan's voice came from behind Scott, his face set in defiance. "And he will not die, I can promise you that."

"Alan," Scott said quietly, horrified. "What are you…?"

"I'm done running, Scott," Alan said angrily, though not towards him. He never took his eyes off of the Hood, who was grinning dangerously at him in return. "I don't care if I get hurt like you said, I have to finish this."

Scott cringed. Now he really wished he'd told Alan the truth…the _whole_ truth. Now Alan was in the same position as before, and it shook Scott to his core with fear. "No, Alan you don't…"

"If facing me is what you want," the Hood said calmly, cutting off Scott and keeping his eyes locked on Alan. "I'll gladly oblige!" Raising his hand once more, the Hood sent another blast of energy towards Alan.

"Look out!" Scott yelled. Running, he knocked Alan out of the way just in time, pushing them both beneath the counter around another corner. The energy tore a hole into the wall, just a few feet above where Jeff laid. Catching his breath, Scott frantically said, "Alan, you shouldn't be here! Where's Gordon?"

Alan got a slightly guilty look on his face. "He wouldn't let me go, so I had to…"

"You can't hide down there forever, boys!" the Hood called. "You have to come out eventually…"

Quickly, Scott drew his gun once more and mouthed '_stay here'_ to Alan. Not waiting for a response, Scott inched his way quietly from underneath the counter, Scott suddenly stood and shot two rounds at the Hood. However, the Hood once again stopped the small bullets, and dropped them easily to the floor. "Tisk, tisk, Scott…didn't your father teach you better than _that_?" Lifting his hand, he quickly clenched it into a fist, and Scott could feel the Hood's power take a crushing hold on his throat, and he immediately began to gasp for breath. Dropping his gun, he clawed uselessly at his throat. Then the Hood moved his arm to the side, dragging Scott into the living room over the glass that littered the floor. Scott wanted to scream, but had no air to. He could hear Alan calling out his name from the kitchen.

Suddenly releasing his hold on Scott's throat, the Hood watched with satisfaction as Scott writhed with pain on the floor and gasped to regain his breath. He then turned and used his telekinesis to lift the gun Scott had dropped and brought it in front of him, eyeing it carefully as his mind worked a new idea. Aiming it towards Scott, the Hood mocked, "Let me know what Hell looks like, Scott."

"Meet you there, asshole," Scott said through gasps, managing to sit up to face the Hood, his eyes not betraying the terror he felt. If he died, he'd die like a Tracy- unflinching and with his head held high in dignity.

The Hood's face darkened dramatically. "Die, Tracy."

Just then, Scott heard the faint beeping of the time machine on his wrist and he began to feel dizzy as his mind began to be pulled back to the present. Then everything around him seemed to happen in slow motion: the sharp ring of the gun resounded through the room, though Scott felt no pain. Looking upwards, Scott realized that Alan was now hunched over him, his eyes full of shock and pain, and a spot of blood began blossoming on his shirt over his chest. The beeping of the time machine grew faster, and Scott began to lose consciousness. "No, Alan…" he said weakly as Alan fell to the side.

Scott's final thought before falling unconscious was, _No…I failed…

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Present… 

"Come on, Dad, stay with us!" John urged, pushing back his panic. Jeff laid in one of the infirmary beds, struggling to breathe as his heart continued to fail. "Come on, Virgil! We need those defibrillators _now_!" Just as Virgil showed up at his side, Jeff's eyes suddenly closed and his breathing ceased, his heart monitor suddenly showing a flat line.

"No!" John cried. Taking the defibrillators from Virgil, John quickly put them on Jeff's bare chest and pressed the green button on top. "Charge, 250!" Jeff's body lurched upwards, then landed back on the bed, but there was no change. "Charge, 300!" Again, no change. As John continued working, Virgil walked over to Gordon, who'd been silent throughout the entire ordeal, and set his hand on his shoulder. Together they looked on horrified and in shock as their father's heart monitor continued to keep a flat line.


	5. Back to the Present

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What?! An update?! MADNESS!

**Sorry it's been so long...I think with the combo of homework (yes, summer homework, yay for me...), driver's ed, among other things, I've just kinda lost my spark for writing for FF. I'll keep trying though, I always do. :)**

**Oh and the other obstacle was that I might be starting writing a couple of books, it's always been a dream of mine (and I've had some good inspiration from an old neighborhood of mine- ex-convicts, panty thieves, cheating priests, you name it. I kid you not.), and even though I promised I'd finish these first, I've just been itching to get them started. So I'm sorry I've been neglecting my duty to you guys...lol**

**ANYWHO, on to the story!!**

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'_Ugh, why does my head hurt so goddamn bad?'_ Scott thought sourly as his consciousness brought him into an unpleasantly white world, which, as his vision became clearer, he realized was the infirmary. Groaning, he propped himself up on one elbow as he gripped his forehead in a futile attempt to get the world to stop spinning. As it slowed to a reasonable pace, Scott blinked the remaining sleep from his eyes and fully sat up. The inky blackness of night could be seen through the windows, a lucid contrast to the glaring lights above him.

'_Why am I here? I don't remember going on a rescue…' _He thought groggily. As he began to focus his still-jumbled thoughts, he decided to rest back on the bed and folded his arms behind his head on the pillow. He closed his eyes to think harder, and soon the memories came with an appalling vengeance. He could see his father and brothers slumped on the floor unconscious…the Hood with a gun and a murderous grin…and Alan, eyes wide with shock, shirt dripping with blood…

Shooting straight upwards, Scott had to keep himself from screaming. His eyes grew wide and he swiftly threw the bed covers from his body as he quickly jumped from the bed, though he found his legs were weak and shaky and he promptly collapsed to the ground. The world began to spin around him as his head throbbed, and his vision became less focused. He let out a hoarse and cracked cry for Alan, though he wasn't sure he'd made any sound at all. He could hear the stuttered and alarmed voice of Brains nearby, but he couldn't make out the words. Hands grasped his arm, but he feebly fought against them. He could faintly feel soft tears tracing his cheeks, though he didn't have the energy to wipe them away. As he slipped into darkness once more, the only thing running through Scott's mind was one simple thought.

'_Alan…dead…No, he can't be dead! No…Alan!'_

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As consciousness once again came to the oldest Tracy brother, he found that daylight had come, and that his father was sleeping soundly next to him. Jeff's face was resting heavily on his propped arm that leaned on the arm of his chair, and his other hand was grasped tightly around Scott's. Scott was confused for only a short time, as the memories flowed back to his mind much quicker than before. Eyes widening, Scott quickly shook his father's hand.

"Dad? Dad!" Scott pressed urgently. Jeff quickly sat upwards, looking around slightly until his eyes came to rest on Scott.

"What? What's wrong Scott?" Jeff said worriedly, though still blearily. He blinked a couple of times to get rid of the exhaustion from his eyes, and they quickly changed to show a look of concern.

"Dad," Scott began, his voice dry. He coughed a couple of times, and Jeff swiftly provided a glass of water that had been sitting on the side table. Scott took a rushed couple of swigs of the water, and then quickly continued. "Dad, what happened…What happened to Alan?" His voice threatened to crack again, though this time not from dryness. Though he tried to keep his tough, strong, older brother visage, tears still threatened to spill past his eyelids. "Is…is he okay?"

Jeff sighed, obviously empathetic for his eldest son, as he took the glass from Scott's hands and placed it back on the table. "Scott," he started, though Scott immediately cut him off.

"Oh God," Scott breathed, taking his father's signs of stress as his answer. His eyes widened and became brighter with tears. "No…Please say he's not…"

Obvious frightened by his son's assumption, he quickly assured, "No, no Scott, he's fine! Alan's fine. I was just upset that you didn't know that yet. I suppose you didn't hear Brains trying to tell you last night…"

Scott visibly relaxed, though he still held some apprehension in his eyes. "He's okay? I mean, really okay?" With Jeff's nod and slight smile, Scott then finally and truly let his tension go. Closing his eyes, he fought to keep the looming tears in his eyes at bay. The pure rush of relief nearly overwhelmed him. Once he calmed his rapid heartbeat, he opened his eyes once more. "What time is it, is he up yet? Can I see him?"

Smiling, Jeff nodded and stood. "Sure, it's past ten, so _hopefully_ he's up by now."

Scott smiled more genuinely than he had, as far as his memory stretched, in a long time. He watched his father leave and anxiously waited for his return. In the time that he was gone, however, Brains decided to do a quick once over on him, only agitating his restlessness. However, he had one question that remained unanswered in his mind.

"Brains, why don't I remember the events of the last year? I mean, I _was_ there for them, right? So shouldn't I remember everything?" he asked annoyed as Brains shone a flashlight in each of his eyes.

"W-W-Well that's j-just a simple s-s-side effect of the m-machine," Brains explained calmly as he listened to an exasperated Scott's heartbeat. "Y-You should r-r-recover those mem-memories within a d-day or t-t-two."

Nodding as Brains finished his exam, Scott suddenly snapped his head towards the infirmary door as it slid open. His eyes immediately locked onto the youngest Tracy, who was deep in conversation with Virgil and Gordon who followed quickly behind, John and Jeff not far behind. Alan stopped talking, however, when he felt Scott's strong gaze on him. Turning, he smiled gently.

"Hey Scott," Alan said awkwardly, though happy. He wasn't sure how to deal with the temporary memory loss in his brother. However, when Scott uneasily stood, a hauntingly pained look in his eyes, Alan quickly went over to his oldest brother and instinctively wrapped his arms around him. Scott, though surprised at first, returned the gesture with even more fervor, holding on for what seemed to be dear life. After what seemed to be a lifetime, Scott finally pulled back, though he kept his hands on Alan's arms, and looked Alan in the face.

"Hey Sprout," he replied quietly, with a chuckle. Sighing, he ruffled the blonde's already messy hair. "God…you don't know how good it is to see you."

Alan pulled out of his brother's grasp and tried to fix his hair the best he could. With his trademark smirk, Alan said coolly, "Oh I know, I am devilishly good looking, aren't I?"

Laughing, he ruffled Alan's hair once more as he sat back onto his bed, receiving a scowl from the youngest Tracy. The others, who'd been watching near the doorway, found it safe to join them and gathered around Scott's bed, Alan sitting next to Scott, John and Gordon on the bed across from them, and Jeff and Virgil stood.

"So," Scott sighed, "care to fill me in on what happened after I passed out?"

The others seemed to suddenly find either a wall or the floor quite interesting, and none seemed to want to start. Finally, Gordon began.

"Well," he started unsurely, "I was the first to make it back to the living room after you passed out…I was just down the hall when I heard the shot. I would've gotten there sooner, but _someone_ decided to try to lock me into the safe room." He stopped to shoot Alan a sour glance while Alan looked away sheepishly. Scott fixed him with a reprimanding look momentarily, then looked back to Gordon when he continued. "When I got there…God, it was horrible…" He took a shuddering breath, and John placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "All of you were passed out, and the Hood was standing right above you and Alan, laughing…I didn't know what else to do, he didn't see me, so I got my gun out and...well, I shot him."

Scott's eyes widened, looking at his brother in disbelief. After a moment of silence, he asked carefully, "Did…Did he..?"

John quickly shook his head. "No, he didn't die. But he nearly did. Some little shred of humanity stopped us from letting him. I still don't know why we did let him live. But instead we got him safely back to the mainland, where he was put under the highest security prison we could find."

Scott nodded, and Gordon continued, his eyes distant as he thought back on the horrid day. "I just…neither you nor Alan was moving, and I saw all of this blood…I just, God, Scott, I thought you were both dead…" Gordon looked downwards and clenched his eyes shut, fighting back tears as his breathing became more ragged. John rubbed his back soothingly as he continued the dreadful story.

"That's when me, Virg, and Dad started to wake up…We really thought the same thing. I was- I mean, we were all so scared. At first we were too shocked to really move, but we got you both to the infirmary, and we got Alan just in time. You woke up a couple hours later, yelling for Alan…"

"Not much unlike last night," Jeff said morosely. "But that time, we didn't have much reassurance to give you…"

Scott swallowed, unable to imagine if Gordon or the others had been any later in getting to Alan. Not wanting to hear much more, he sighed, "Okay, I think I get the gist…I'm just glad you're okay." Smiling at Alan, he put his arm around his youngest brother's shoulder, as one final reassurance that Alan was really there.

"Scott, you'd better get some rest," Jeff suggested, noticing the weariness that remained in his eldest son's eyes. "Why don't you lay down for a while? Then maybe if you're up to it you can have dinner with us tonight."

Though he hesitated for a moment, Scott nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am pretty tired." Yawning, he smiled as his brothers and father filed out the door, and he succumbed to some welcome rest.

However, he was more fatigued than he first believed, and he slept past dinner and far into the night. Unfortunately, his sleep turned from restful to an outright hellish nightmare. One he'd experienced many times before, after Alan's death. However, instead of the glint of the deadly blade that he'd seen before, the blade became a shining silver pistol, held in the hands of none other than the Hood. His blood ran cold when he heard the icy words of the Hood: _Die, Tracy._

Scott tried to move, struggling against invisible steel chains that bound his entire body. He cried out, watching helplessly once more as the fatal shot rang out, piercing Alan's chest as blood poured forth, and Alan's eyes went from shocked and pained to a dim lifelessness. Scott screamed, his throat going raw, but he still couldn't reach Alan…

"ALAN!" he screamed out once more, only to realize that this time he had screamed it into his empty room. Looking around, Scott tried to catch his breath as he wondered how he'd arrived there. Scott quickly concluded that while he'd been asleep his brothers had probably brought him here as they knew he would prefer the comfort of his own room to the starkness of the infirmary. However, this time it only served to shake his nerves. The room was chilly and dimly lit, only adding to the coldness of both his body and soul. The only light came from small streaks of the early morning sun sneaking in between the drawn curtains. Previously, he'd woken up like this too many times, only to be met with a cold, unforgiving silence.

However, this time was different. Suddenly, his door swung open, and a frightened Alan stared back at him.

"Scott, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Alan quickly asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes. However, he became more alert when he saw the haunted look in Scott's eyes, and the cold sweat glistening on his skin. Going over to his oldest brother's bed, Alan sat down and looked in Scott's eyes. Scott could only stare at him in slight shock for a moment, until he wrapped his arms around his brother and let two twin tears fall from his eyes.

"Scott?" Alan asked unsurely. "Scott, look at me," he said more determinedly after a moment. Scott sat back, but looked away, embarrassed and almost ashamed that he was still having the nightmares. However, Alan stayed firm. "Scott. Look at me." When his brother did as he was told, almost feeling like a child again, Alan continued. "Scott, I know this is hard for you. You told me when I recovered a few months ago about what really happened, that I really died…" Scott looked away again, hurtful memories flowing through him as Alan said those words. "No Scott, look at me. You need to hear this." Scott hesitantly looked back, and Alan took his hand in his and held it in between their faces. "See this? I'm still here aren't I? Scott I'm here, I'm alive, I'm fine. I know it's something you can't just get over in one night. But I promise you, I am not going anywhere. There's no more need to be sad. What's done is done, what's in the past is gone. We can get through this."

Scott looked at his brother in awe, before calming and smiling warmly, enveloping his brother in another warm embrace. "Thanks, Alan," he said quietly. He gave one last squeeze and he let go. "I know together, we'll get through this. It'll just take a little more time." Which, he thought in relief, they now would have.

Alan smiled and nodded, and stood to leave. He smiled when he reached the doorway when he heard Scott joke, "…Little brat gives better older brother talks than I do…" Alan chuckled at his brother's comment. He should be pretty good at it; he had heard plenty of the big-brother talks over the years.

Emerging into the bright, sun-filled living room and breathing deeply of the soft tropical breezes, Alan's face was awash in smiles. Hearing the rest of his family, their voices raised in laughter as they joined around the kitchen table for breakfast, he began to lightly jog off to join them. He didn't know what would happen tomorrow, but for today he was simply happy to be alive. Catching up with the others at the table, Alan let the love they had for him wash over him like a gentle embrace. The one thing he would always be sure of was that the love the Tracy Family had for each other would always be set in stone.

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**Awww, don't you love cheese? I know I made Scott seem pretty child-like at the end, but I really think after what he'd been through he should have been. I'm sure hoping you liked this ending (courtesy of the fabulous criminally charmed)! T****hanks SOOOO much to criminally charmed for being an AMAZING beta too. She helped me with all of my extremely stupid errors. And thanks to all of my readers...I know putting up with my far-apart updates is tough, but thanks to those who stick with it. One finished, two more to go! ;)**

**Megz**


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